That music you hear? It's the food bandwagon, and I'm just about to get on it. There's a nice seat for you, too, and I think you'll enjoy the ride.
And you'll particularly enjoy the destination. At least you will if you're into very casual dining that's rather different. Kim Cheese, at the intersection of Olive and Woods Mill, is one of those dining destinations that have taken over an old fast food spot. Nothing new there, right? But this food is an uncommon hybrid mixing Korean, Mexican and American. It's become easily the most-talked-about, and probably -written-about spot in town, at least in this price range.
And that's because of not the polite service or the focus whenever possible on local ingredients, although all those things are delightful. It's the food. The menu is surprisingly large, and a couple of visits didn't let me explore nearly enough. But what I found was anywhere from good to remarkable, especially when you consider you're ordering from a counter, or a drive-through, although I don't recommend that for a first, or even a second visit, just because you'll need time to ponder.
None of the tacos, burritos or quesadillas seem particularly exotic. But let's begin with their never using ground beef. The Kim Cheese burger, which should come to be recognized as one of the best sandwiches in the area, uses, as do all the burgers, slices of ribeye steak, tender and free of gristle. There's cheese, but it does, admittedly get lost in the juiciness, especially when combined with a little lettuce, some tomato and, most importantly, kim chee. That's the fermented and seasoned relish, usually (and here) made of cabbage. I'm not a big kim chee fan, normally. Its spiciness doesn't bother me, but the funk does. However, this rendition of kim chee is mild, a little spicy, slightly sweet, and melds right into the overall flavor combination that it's remarkable. This is the dish I'll have to force myself not to order again so I can try the rest of the menu.
That same meat is available on their tacos, which are topped with a fresh, housemade pico de gallo. The seasoning here, too, blends in a muted note of sweet, and the heat can be obtained by either a spicy or mild housemade salsa. (Good example of the difference between pico and salsa – one is chunky and fresh, the other smoother and usually cooked.) In addition, there's sriracha on the tables to amp it up even more – the spicy salsa is still pretty calm.
An enchilada with spicy pork seemed particularly well-balanced – so many of them are dense with rice, but this guy worked well, and the spicy pork too was tender but lean. A generous serving, as was everything I tried, meant lunch the next day.
Then there are the bowls. I had assumed the chosen topping would be piled on top of a bowl of rice, period. Another hard choice – pork belly? chicken curry? crispy porkchop with teriyaki? – but I ended up with the Korean classic biee bim bap, more beef, with plenty of thinly sliced fresh vegetables, with a good ratio of rice-to-other-stuff, the vegetables being tucked in among the rice, the beef, marinated in a sweet soy mixture, on top, the the whole thing topped off with a fried egg, not a 21st Century note but a traditional one. It was excellent. The small container of kim chee alongside was out of a different batch – this was the big guns.
Even the french fries are freshly cut and of good quality, and while they're seasoned, they're not salted, in keeping with a quiet murmur in some of their advertising about being healthy. Everything seems light on the tongue, and while the servings are large enough to keep St. Louis happy, lots of folks leave with leftovers. Or maybe that's just because the food is so interesting, it's easy to over-order.
Kim Cheese
13435 Olive Blvd., Chesterfield
314-485-1408
Lunch daily, Dinner Mon.-Sat.
Credit cards: Yes
Wheelchair access: Poor
Smoking: No
Sandwiches and Entrees:$3-$10